Category Archives: Law

Business, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Social Commentary, Technology and Society

The FDA’s Death Toll

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It’s long past time to track it.

Bureaucracy kills.

[Update a while later]

I should add that, when this is over, we should have a national commission to review all federal regulatory actions and legislation, and see how much of it is still necessary (if it ever was) and how much of it is actively harmful (e.g., plastic-bag bans) with little benefit/cost ratio. At least we never got that nonsense at a federal level. So it would also be useful to examine state-level regs, for info purposes for those states. But unfortunately, contra bulls**t claims from the Democrats about being the “party of science,” this nonsense will likely continue.

Business, Economics, Health, Law, Mathematics, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Technology and Society

Free-Market Health Care

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How would it respond to the virus?

It’s been many decades since there’s been anything resembling a free market in this country’s health care, other than things like Lasik.

[Update a few minutes later]

Speaking of (lack of) free markets, restaurants in Los Angeles are being shut down for selling groceries without a license.

Government seems determined to put business out of business.

Business, Economics, Law, Political Commentary, Technology and Society

Regulatory Relief

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…can save lives.

A lot of regulations are merely special-interest rent seeking.

[Late-morning update]

Trump is rolling back fuel-efficiency standards.

He should eliminate them, if possible, but that would probably require legislation. They are an idiotic relic of the energy crisis, almost half a century ago. In my opinion, they’re unconstitutional, or should be. Same with toilet specifications.

Health, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Satire, Science And Society, Technology and Society

Hydroxychloroquine

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The FDA has issued an authorization for emergency use.

That’s nice, considering how much we’ve been fighting red tape since this started. But early results have been encouraging. Italy and France have been not just allowing, but prescribing it.

[Update a while later]

No, Dan Diamond at Politico, there is not “scant evidence.” But you just keep being garbage.

[Update a few minutes later]

It’s not enough that we have to fight the virus; we have to continue to fight the FDA.

I agree with Glenn: “The thing is, Trump can intervene in these things, but there’s still delay, and there’s only so much a President can do to chivvy along the bureaucracy. I think he should announce that he’ll have a team of managers from outside government evaluate the performance of the FDA, CDC, NIH when this is over, with those found to have under-performed to be sacked.”

Bureaucracy can be just as deadly as a virus. The good news is that all of this is feeding the public’s desire to drain the DC swamp.

They’ll get to have a say in November.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Trump is slashing red tape again like he was 39.

[Update late morning]

Speaking of garbage journalism, read the latest from Treacher: “I can’t even imagine what poor Yamiche Alcindor from the PBS NewsHour is going through right now. It really puts my own petty concerns into perspective.”

I have to say that one of the people in whom I’ve been most disappointed in terms of TDS is S. E. Cupp. I used to have a lot of respect for her.

[Update a few minutes later]

[Noon update]

To get back to the original post topic, a doctor in New York has successfully treated almost 700 patients with no failures.

This might really be the magic bullet. If it’s prophylactic, the key is to ramp up production immediately, to get the economy going again.

[Update mid afternoon]

A Brita filter for blood.

This could have saved a lot of people a century ago; let’s hope it helps now.